What the Internet Did After This WWII Veteran Died All Alone Will Move You in a Powerful Way

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Ninety-nine-year-old United Kingdom World War II veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival was alone in the world without any close family when he died last month, leaving some to worry he would be buried without anyone even at his funeral.

Hundreds of people attended the funeral of 99-year old war veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival after he died with no close family. (AP)

That’s when Reddit, an online community where users can share links, photos and videos, stepped in.

On Saturday, a user submitted a photo of a small newspaper clipping with the caption, “I feel like Reddit would want to do something about this.”

The newspaper clipping, submitted by a funeral home employee, said that the Royal Air Force veteran was “a single man” who had “no close family” and that “any service personnel who can attend his funeral service would be appreciated.”

Image source: Imgur

The story quickly went viral online, catching the attention of a local newspaper. The Lyntham St Annes Express published a front-page story online over the weekend reiterating the call for people to attend Percival’s funeral, slated for Armistice Day.

Hundreds of servicemen and community members ultimately turned out at the Lytham Park Crematorium, enduring the rain to say farewell to the late World War II veteran.

Mourners stand in silence as servicemen salute during the funeral of World War II veteran Harold Percival at Lytham Park Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2013 in Lytham St Annes, England. (Getty Images/Nigel Roddis)

A floral tribute left at the funeral of World War II veteran Harold Percival at Lytham Park Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2013 in Lytham St Annes, England. Hundreds of strangers attended the funeral of former RAF Bomber Command ground crew member, Harold Jellicoe Percival, following an online campaign sparked by a notice placed in a newspaper by the funeral directors. (Getty Images/Nigel Roddis)

“It’s just staggering,” the man’s nephew, Andre Collyer-Worsell, told the Lyntham St Annes Express Monday. “It just shows how great the British public are. He was not a hero, he was just someone who did his duty in World War II, just as his brother and sister did and his father before him in World War I.”

“We were expecting a few people, a few local veterans but suddenly it snowballed,” he continued. “It’s the sort of emotional send-off you would want to give any loved one. It’s very emotional.”